LG to bring the world’s largest OLED TV to CES

TVs using OLED screens are about to take a big leap forward, with an emphasis on the word “big,” as LG has announced it’ll be showing off a new 55-inch OLED television — billed as the world’s largest — at CES 2012 in January.

Up until now, OLED screens have been more commonplace on smartphones and televisions with smaller screens, however according to LG Display’s CEO Dr. Sang Beom Han, the company has “successfully addressed” the problems encountered when super-sizing OLED panels.

The 55-inch panel boasts a contrast ratio in excess of 100,000:1 and a wider color gamut than regular LCD TVs, plus it’s incredibly thin at just 5mm – that’s slimmer than both the iPhone 4S and the Samsung Galaxy S II.

OLED technology has several other benefits too, with a light chassis and no need for a permanently lit backlight, meaning the screen consumes less power and is therefore more environmentally friendly. However, the one drawback concerning OLED is the price.

The 15-inch EL9500 OLED TV is already for sale in the UK, where it costs £1500 or about $2300, and the 31-inch version is the equivalent of $9000, or £6000. Pocket-lint has used some math to come up with a potential £20,000/$30,000 price tag for the 55-inch screen.

You’ve still got some time to save up if that’s a touch out of your budget, as although the screen will make its debut at CES, it’s not expected to go on sale until later in the year.